Meal Planning 101: Week 53 and Fresh at Five Week 2

Decided to put my meal plan and Farmers' Market update in one! I use things I buy from the market in my meal planning, so it made sense. :) I'll note what things I bought at the market or what things you can buy at the market.

Monday: 

Leftover crockpot roast, veggies (take advantage of local fresh veggies from the market), rice, and gravy

Tuesday: 

French dip sandwiches (using leftover pot roast) with roasted squash and zucchini (can be purchased at the market)

Wednesday: 

I'm hosting Missional Community this week! We'll be having a taco bar with several ingredients from the market! 

Thursday: 

Grilled salmon, grilled corn on the cob, and grilled stuffed peppers (peppers can be purchased at the market)

Friday: 

Salmon mango salsa tacos, spicy black beans, mango salsa avocado salad, and baked tortilla chips 

Saturday: 

Leftovers

Sunday: 

Buffalo chicken wrap and roasted sweet potato wedges 

Extras: 

Lunches - tuna salad

Baking - summer bread puddings

Every Tuesday (weather permitting) on Jefferson Street in Clinton, MS!

This week's vendors are: 

Love's Hawaiian Shaved Ice and Snacks - shaved ice
Chuck Jones - blueberries
Smoothie King - smoothie samples
Eat Cities - sauces and rubs
Kazery Farm -
T & R Dairy Farm - hormone free beef, milk, artisan cheeses, cheese spreads
Lee Lee's Garden - plants and seedlings
Dad's Disappearing Salsa - salsa and dip mixes
Amber Farms - tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, eggplant
Mississippi Cold Drip - Iced coffee, iced chai, coffee and chai concentrate
Simple Woods and Produce
Kasia's Kitchen - sweet tea and lemonade
Benet Luchion - botanicals
Boyd Farms - squash, zucchini, peppers, eggs, tomatoes
Grumpy Dave's Kettle Corn - kettle corn, caramel corn, local honey
Lilee's Gourmet Bakery - baked goods
LaRose Freshest Produce - kale, squash, zucchini
Pickled Pickin's - pickled things, salsa
The High Heeled Hippie - cherry tomatoes, red, white, and gold potatoes, baby squash, mint and other herbs, beets and carrots

This week's fun extras are: 

Live music by violinist Redin Spann
Canning demonstration by the MSU Extension Service
Cooking demonstration using market ingredients by Marsha Barham, former Viking Cooking School Director
Tote giveaway to Friends of the Market
Best of Sweet Tea with a Flavorful Twist competition

Follow the Mainstreet Clinton Facebook page for more info! 

Meal Planning 101: Week 51

I tried so hard to get the meal plan posted on Monday for #mealplanmonday! Between working 8:00 - 4:30, having 2 posts posting on 2 other blogs, making 3 gallons of sweet tea and 3 gallons of lemonade, making dinner, hosting an on-line fundraising party for a friend's adoption, cellular data not working, and being determined to get "self pedicure" marked off the to do list, it just didn't happen. BUT, I feel somewhat transitioned now and ready to be blogging again. I promise to TRY and post regularly and get some recipes coming at you soon. I meal plan for every week anyway, so this post should be easy to make happen again. There is also a life update post in the works!

I scored some MAJOR managers special deals that shaped my meal plan a little. I also discovered I have a weakness... Manager special breads. Well, managers special anything really. But my freezer has quite a few bread purchases acquired from managers special deals. I have a multigrain nut loaf and a cranberry walnut loaf that will become a bread pudding concoction very soon! Some wheat rolls will be used for french dip sandwiches next week. AND a sourdough square is becoming some fancy grilled cheeses this week. I don't know if this is a hard and fast rule, but my Kroger marks LOTS down on Sundays. If you live in Clinton, pretend I didn't just reveal my secret to you... But if you live elsewhere, check your stores out!

Meal Planning 101: Week 50

Once upon a time... I had the best week ever that was also one of the weirdest weeks ever. From a Saturday to a Saturday I got to lead a girl through making the life changing decision to follow Jesus, I traveled 6 hours in one day, I had the stomach bug for 5 days, my ability to eat and follow through with the meals I planned was shot for about 7 days (due to stomach bug and the recovering from the bug stomach situation), I was offered a job I really wanted (and accepted!), I found out where I'd be living next, AND I was featured in a magazine for this blog! WHAT?! Craziest week ever. So due to that stuff, I didn't bring you a meal plan next week. BUT, since I didn't have a whole meal plan last week, that means this week's meal plan is gonna have some extras! Woo!

For my first meal to cook after that dreaded stomach bug, I came up with a yummy concoction I'm calling Black Bean Enchilada Bake. It was 7 delicious filling points on Weight Watchers per serving and I will be bringing that recipe to you soon (top left picture). I also came up with a equally delicious, super low point dip/sauce/dressing/eat-it-on-everything recipe (also coming soon). We're calling it Cilantro Jalapeno Ranch (top right picture) and it's 1 point for 2 tablespoons or 2 for a whole 1/4 cup! It's pretty much delicious on everything - celery, chips, baked potatoes, tacos, sandwiches, wraps, enchilada bakes, spoons, fingers. I've also been eating avocado on pretty much everything and using every crock pot I own (okay I only have 2, I just like being dramatic for flare) to do easy meal prep. To the meal plan!

Monday: 

salsa chicken stuffed baked sweet potatoes (topped with green onions, avocado, and cilantro jalapeno ranch) and roasted green beans

Tuesday: 

OWLs Dinner and Prayer Club: bring roasted sweet potatoes

Wednesday: 

Missional Community meal: making waffles (of the pumpkin and buttermilk varieties)

Thursday: 

leftovers

Friday: 

Friendgroup party: bringing iced sugar cookies (of course) and creamy kale dip with crudites (We start and lunch and stay until after dinner and eat our snacky goods for lunch and dinner. We don't do short gatherings.)

Saturday: 

baked salmon, roasted sweet potatoes, and spicy kale chips

Sunday: 

Easter goodies somewhere: I'll probably bring deviled eggs

Freebie Meals: 

black bean enchilada bake, roasted kale and tomatoes, and avocado

grilled chicken tenders, baked sweet potatoes, and hummus

Extras: 

breakfast this week - greek yogurt, grape fruit cups, and kiwi

healthy snack option #1 - cilantro jalapeno ranch and celery sticks

healthy snack option #2 - sliced bell pepper and hummus

healthy dessert option - greek yogurt chocolate pudding


What are you eating this week? What's your favorite Easter dish? Post your weekly meal plan in the comment section below! You can also link your meal plan up over at Organizing Junkie and see even more people who are meal planning. 

Meal Planning 101: Week 48

Stay tuned for the ever familiar speech on why I missed two weeks of posting meal plans... 1. The week after the aforementioned wedding weekend/mini vacation, I literally didn't cook for 10 days (GASP). I had three social things that week that involved meals. I lived off leftovers, random things, gross fast food, and avoided the grocery store that week. 2. Last week was Spring Break! I did in fact cook, but I also focused majorly on investing in friendships, being on my computer less, reading, writing, being outside, spending time with Jesus, and doing other assorted things on my Spring Break goal list.

Posting a meal plan didn't make the cut. BUT... I'm back! Back with a meal plan and some sort of blogging mojo. I have more than one post scheduled for this week. WHAT?! Spring break was good for me guys. So good. Recipes coming at you soon: Green Chili Avocado Turkey Burger Sliders & Crock Pot Buffalo Wings. And the long awaited DIY beauty post is also coming!

Monday: 

GREEN THINGS, you know I love a themed meal! Kale Chicken Pasta & Sauteed Artichokes & Kale

Tuesday: 

OWLs Dinner Club - bring Sauteed Kale

Wednesday: 

Missional Community Meal

Thursday: 

Black Bean Burritos & Guacamole

Friday: 

Wedding Food via Friendgroup Wedding

Saturday: 

Friend Dinner

Sunday: 

Crock Pot Greek Chicken Pitas, Tzatziki, and Crudites

Extras: 

• Avocado Chicken Salad in Avocado Bowls for a couple of lunches. 
• Catering order! Four dozen custom color funfetti cupcakes and four dozen iced sugar cookies. 

What are you eating this week? Post your weekly meal plan in the comment section below! You can also link your meal plan up over at Organizing Junkie and see even more people who are meal planning. 

Meal Planning 101: Week 47

I confess, as you can see, that I'm not giving you a full week of meal planning this week. I'm going to South Carolina for the wedding of one of my best friend's twin. On Thursday morning I will depart at 5:30 ish am. Eek! So, even though my meal plan is weak, at best, I still wanted to share my few little meals with you. Mainly to stay in the rhythm of posting, but also, my meal planning template is so cute I just want to keep using it!

Short and sweet. But consistency means I'll start posting recipes again soon right?? High hopes.

Meal Planning 101: Week 46

IT'S STILL MONDAY! Barely, but hey, it counts way more than Thursday. Meal Plan Monday actually posted on a Monday! Maybe I'm actually getting back into the rhythm of this whole blogging thing again. I made a new meal plan template that I like way better than the last! I liked it so much I'm sharing the blank one for you to hijack if you'd like!

All meal planning is awesome, but this week was beyond awesome. Kroger had stellar coupons, amazing sales, and crazy manager special mark downs. This resulted in me stocking up on things like 49 cent organic french fries, 59 cent organic broccoli, and $1.99 packages of ground turkey! WHAT?! I spent $80-ish on 2 weeks (plus some stocking up) worth of groceries. And I saved around $30 with coupons and sales, not including manager special! 

 And now, the plan! Isn't it so much better than that other template I made?? It's so pretty. I'm kind of obsessed.

What are you eating this week? What meal are you most excited about cooking? I'm most excited about this cheeseburger sliders recipe I saw that gave me an idea for turkey burger sliders! Also pretty excited about cooking chicken wings for the first time.

Meal Planning 101: Week 45

Almost only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, AND blogging right? So surely Thursday can count as almost Monday? I had a plan. I've stuck to it. I just forgot to share it. I could give you a list of reasons, but instead, I'm just going to give you the plan and possibly promise that next weeks Meal Plan Monday will occur on the real Monday and not the almost Monday called Thursday.

Meal Planning 101: Week 44

Monday: 

Leftover Crockpot Salsa Peach Chicken, Lime Rice, and Roasted Broccoli

Tuesday: 

Salsa Peach Nachos

Wednesday: 

Missional Community Meal

Thursday: 

Leftovers

Friday: 

Salsa Peach Soft Tacos, Smashed Beans, and Avocado Salad

Saturday: 

Leftovers

Sunday: 

Chicken and Kale Pasta Bake and Roasted Green Beans


What are you eating this week? Post your weekly meal plan in the comment section below! You can also link your meal plan up over at Organizing Junkie and see even more people who are meal planning. 

Meal Planning 101: Week 43

Short and sweet! I'm hooked on the Kroger app, adds, and finding coupons now. Last grocery visit for two weeks worth of groceries I saved $24.47 plus some extra in manager's special labels!

Monday: 

Pulled Pork Salad (using leftover Crock Pot Pulled Pork)

Tuesday: 

OWLs Dinner - bringing Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Wednesday: 

Church Meal - bringing Sopapilla Cheesecake

Thursday: 

French Onion Meatballs, Pasta, and English Peas

Friday: 

Leftover Meatballs

Saturday: 

Take Out

Sunday: 

Crock Pot Peach Salsa Chicken, Rice, and Parmesan Broccoli


What are you eating this week? Post your weekly meal plan in the comment section below! You can also link your meal plan up over at Organizing Junkie and see even more people who are meal planning. 

Meal Planning 101: Week 42

Hey guess what? I still do that meal planning thing! Time to start sharing again. :) Holidays are hectic and usually involve more parties, celebrations, and leftovers than meal plans, so this is actually my first full week meal plan since Thanksgiving probably. Giving you a few extra days too since there were meals and since I won't be in town and cooking this weekend. Also... of course after I wrote out my meal plan, it changed due to more leftovers that anticipated! So it will be a little different than pictured. :) Also! I majorly scored at the grocery store this week. I got two weeks worth of groceries for $80!! I saved over $30 in coupons and managers special labels!

Saturday: 

Leftover Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings (recipe coming soon)

Sunday: 

Cobb Salad with Garlic Cheese Toast (recipes coming soon)

Monday: 

Leftover Cobb Salad

Tuesday: 

OWLs Dinner - bringing Double Chocolate Bread Pudding (recipe coming soon IF it turns out well)

Wednesday: 

Church Meal 

Thursday: 

Crock Pot BBQ Pork Loin, Sauteed Bacon Kale, and Spiced Carrots

Friday: 

TWU Retreat - bringing Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies and Double Chocolate Brownies

Saturday: 

TWU Retreat

Sunday: 

Fancy Sandwiches and Crudities with Cucumber Dip

What are you eating this week? Post your weekly meal plan in the comment section below! You can also link your meal plan up over at Organizing Junkie and see even more people who are meal planning. 

Meal Planning 101: Week 41

Am I gonna use a regularly scheduled meal plan post to count as a #31days Food for Thought post? Why yes I am! If they fall on a day that happens to be one of the making the kitchen manageable days, why not?! It counts.

Am I going to keep it short and sweet because today was another busy day (first Sunday Gathering for Arise Church - the new church plant I'm part of + crock pot prep + sewing project with friends for orphans = NO MORE TIME!), yes, yes I am! 

Monday: 

Crock Pot Pumpkin Chili  (with tortilla chips and toppings)

Tuesday: 

OWLs Dinner? (if we have it bringing Pumpkin Spice Latte Baked Donuts (sort of this recipe, gonna change it up a bit), if not, leftovers!)

Wednesday:

Hosting Missional Community! Serving a baked potato bar (baked potatoes, cheese, green onions, pumpkin chili, bacon, broccoli, butter, sour cream ranch, etc) and a s'mores bar. 

Thursday: 

Leftovers (baked potato smorgasbord) 

Friday: 

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Saturday: 

Leftovers

Sunday: 

Crock Pot French Onion Soup

So... maybe I went a little crock pot crazy with this meal plan, but it actually feels like fall!

For the month of October, I'm participating in The Nester's #31Days blog writing challenge. My topic is Food for Thought. I'll be writing about two main things. 1. Understanding and believing God's love. 2. Making life in the kitchen more manageable. You can read all my #31Days posts here. 

Making the Kitchen Manageable: Part 1 - Meal Planning

I simply can't start a series about making the kitchen manageable without starting with the thing I think is the foundation of a manageable kitchen: MEAL PLANNING. Meal planing, it really works people. If you are a semi-regular reader here, you know I talk about it all the time and post weekly(ish) meal plans. There are many things about managing life that can be stressful, the kitchen doesn't have to be one of them. I hope by the end of this series you will believe me and feel less stressed about the kitchen. Whether you are a planner or not, you can make meal planning work for you and reap the benefits.

What are the benefits? (Most of this info was posted over a year ago in my original "How to Meal Plan" post, but it's worthy of repeating here!)

1. IT SAVES MONEY! Really, it does. If you don't meal plan and just shop when you come up with something, you know you always add extra things to the cart with each trip. Those extra things and extra trips add up. You also buy groceries with more intention. Yes, every kitchen needs staples (we'll talk about those later). BUT when you don't plan you aimlessly buy things you think you need, that you don't actually need! It also minimizes the amount of times you feel too stressed to come up with something for dinner and end up just eating out. If you plan, you eat out way less and make meals you're proud of that cost a fraction of the price they would at a restaurant. Also, going to the grocery store every time you cook dinner is stressful because the grocery store is stressful (AMEN?!)! 

2. IT'S STRATEGIC! It cuts back on the amount of products you waste. If you find one recipe you want to make that requires buttermilk, you can find others to include in your plan that need buttermilk. Thus you don't waste the rest of that buttermilk. When you don't plan, lots of things end up expiring and going to waste. Better for the environment and again.. YOUR POCKET! 

3. IT'S HEALTHIER! When you plan your own meals you are much less likely to plan an abundance of unhealthy things. As mentioned earlier, it also cuts back on the desperation fast food trips.  Not to mention, when you plan and cook your own food, not only do you cut back on fat, but you control the amount of sodium, butter, oil, preservatives and exactly what goes into everything you eat.

4. IT'S NOT BORING! It's exciting. The number one thing I hear from people who cook is that they get tired of cooking the same things. If you think and buy for meals on the fly, you're always gonna gravitate to the same things (spaghetti, hint hint). In meal planning you get to plan in your own excitement to your meals!

Sold yet? You should be! But now, how? 

1. Don't be overwhelmed! Start small. Try it for one week at a time first. Currently I do two weeks at a time because that is my pay schedule (every other week). When I got paid once a month I did do it a month at a time. I planned the entire month and shopped only once a month. Yes! It is entirely possible. 

2. Use your resources! Those cook books you have? Break them out! Read them. Set little fun goals. When I was doing monthly planning, I set some guidelines like at least one new recipe a week and at least two recipes from my cookbooks a month. The internet is your cooking companion. Let's call her you sous chef! There are SOOO many food blogs out there. Pinterest is of course a great resource as well. 

3. Look at sale ads. I know Kroger and Target send weekly sale emails. Wal-mart has a weekly sale paper. Don't be afraid of coupons! If you have a farmer's market, find out when they sell things. Fresh produce is better and often cheaper. If you have a Sam's Club, it's not just for bulk items. I am a single person and every two(ish) weeks I visit Sam's! Sam's is wonderful for cheaper produce and meats. When I did monthly planning, I would wait to plan my meals until  I knew what meats were on sale.

4. Have fun getting organized! I have a friend who always had a big dry erase white board calendar where she recorded her meal plan. I posted a picture of the method to my madness above. I've tried apps and digital list makers, but there is just something I love about writing out my own list. I have a magnetic list on the fridge where I write random things I think of through out the week or things that I run out of. During the week, I out meal ideas and groceries I need or needed for meals. A day or so before I will be doing my shopping, I plan out 5-6 full meals, make my shopping list, and organize the shopping list grouping items together so the grocery store isn't as chaotic.

With a bigger family you'd need to cook more than 3 times a week, but I'm just me so I eat leftovers about every other day. I feel like this is A LOT! But if you want more, I can totally give you more ideas and suggestions. Just try it for a month, make it a habit. You really will begin to experience the benefits. 

And now, a list of every meal plan I've ever posted! PS. Don't expect every post in this series to be this long, haha. I just have a lot of info on this topic. Hence why I think it's the foundation to kitchen management.

Meal Planning 101: Week 1
Meal Planning 101: Week 2
Meal Planning 101: Week 3
Meal Planning 101: Week 4
Meal Planning 101: Week 5
Meal Planning 101: Week 6
Meal Planning 101: Week 7
Meal Planning 101: Week 8
Meal Planning 101: Week 9
Meal Planning 101: Week 10
Meal Planning 101: Week 11
Meal Planning 101: Week 12
Meal Planning 101: Week 13
Meal Planning 101: Week 14
Meal Planning 101: Week 15
Meal Planning 101: Week 16
Meal Planning 101: Week 17 and 18
Meal Planning 101: Week 19
Meal Planning 101: Week 20 and 21
Meal Planning 101: Week 22
Meal Planning 101: Week 23
Meal Planning 101: Week 24
Meal Planning 101: Week 25
Meal Planning 101: Week 26
Meal Planning 101: Week 27
Meal Planning 101: Week 28
Meal Planning 101: Week 29
Meal Planning 101: Week 30
Meal Planning 101: Week 31
Meal Planning 101: Week 32
Meal Planning 101: Week 33
Meal Planning 101: Week 34
Meal Planning 101: Week 35
Meal Planning 101: Week 36
Meal Planning 101: Week 37
Meal Planning 101: Week 38
Meal Planning 101: Week 39
Meal Planning 101: Week 40

THERE'S MORE!

15 More Meals

Lots-O-Meal Ideas
Baking Ideas
St. Patrick's Day Meal Ideas

Lunch Ideas 1
Lunch Ideas 2
Lunch Ideas 3
Lunch Ideas 4
Lunch Ideas 5
Lunch Ideas 6
Lunch Ideas 7
Lunch Ideas 8
Lunch Ideas 9
Lunch Ideas 10
Lunch Ideas 11
Lunch Ideas 12
Lunch Ideas 13
Lunch Ideas 14

Lunch Ideas 15
Lunch Ideas 16
Lunch Ideas 17
Lunch Ideas 18


For the month of October, I'm participating in The Nester's #31Days blog writing challenge. My topic is Food for Thought. I'll be writing about two main things. 1. Understanding and believing God's love. 2. Making life in the kitchen more manageable. You can read all my #31Days posts here. 

Meal Planning 101: Week 40

I know I skipped last week! I went out of town Thursday, so there wasn't much of a meal plan. But this week I'm on call! I couldn't leave if I wanted to, and thus, there is a meal plan. Keeping in short and sweet for you, just the meals!

Monday:

Fiesta Rice Bowls with Chips and Salsa

Tuesday:

OWLs Potluck (bringing wilted spinach and roasted brussel sprouts)

Wednesday: 

Church Meal (Was bringing pumpkin cookies, but found out it wasn't my team's week to cook, so I'll make these for something else!)

Thursday: 

Savory Waffles and Fancy Eggs

Friday: 

Fried Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches with Breakfast Potatoes

Saturday: 

Leftovers

Sunday: 

Crock Pot French Onion Soup and Grilled Cheese


Last week I made a crock pot rotisserie chicken using the balled up tinfoil trick and it was excellent! Also used leftover chicken to make a big fall chopped spinach salad that was delicious!